Going In Five

Posted on Mon Aug 24th, 2015 @ 6:23pm by Niro & Ensign Reva Madhava & Owain

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Belowdecks / EFS Korenna

* EFS Korenna *

Aware it was late in the morning all ready, Reva briefly stretched, found herself alone in Niro's bed and curled around a pillow. Her thoughts wandered from the scene at Saturnalia to one later, at the 1551st deck casino, when a man had accosted Niro and demanded he give her over. The end of that scene hadn't been pretty and Reva regretted having been the cause.

That regret was yet another thought she put away behind a mental wall, with the hope that Niro wasn't able to read the things there. Riley was behind that wall and she was just starting to rub salt in that wound when she heard footsteps coming along the corridor. Quickly, she dashed for the bathroom and started the shower.

It wasn't just a cover - she wanted to wash her pheromones off so that she didn't immediately set Niro off when he came in. When she stepped out of the shower, she nearly screamed when it was Owain, not Niro, who spoke to her. "What are you doing here?", she demanded.

"Hey, now, now, no need for claws, kitten," he grinned, appreciating her in a towel. "I talked Niro into letting me take you shopping. Now, come on, get some clothes on and let's go."

"Shopping?" She sneered at the idea. "Why shop? The replicator can make anything."

"Ugh! Reva! Don't be a spoilsport, just come on! I know a dressmaker who promises he can make a dress that'll drop jaws wherever you go."

That couldn't be bad, right? Reva considered it. And maybe this was Owain's way of calling a truce in what had become their chilly little form of hostilities. "Okay, Owain, we'll go. Let me dress." She urged him out of the bathroom. He went but came back just a moment later and watched her drying her hair with the towel she'd just been wearing. "Owain!"

"Okay, jeez... Someone missed out on the lack of modesty part of Betazoid culture!" In the bedroom, Owain sneered at the unmade bed; he thought he could smell Reva's pheromones on the sheets. He hadn't actually asked Niro about taking her off the ship, but Niro was busy, so it would a while before he noticed she was gone. And by then he'd be back here to soothe Niro's worries.

Reva came out, clutching a towel around her again. "Couldn't you go wait somewhere else? I haven't even eaten yet this morning." She replicated a simple dress and pulled it on, dropping the towel as the dress covered her.

"Well, we can stop at Java on the way! Ready?"

She delayed only a moment longer, finding shoes and jewelry before she nodded and they headed off of Niro's ship. Owain led Reva, by way of a little coffee kiosk, to a turbolift, which he then directed to a lower deck.

"Not the Promenade?", she asked.

"No, this fellow works down on Deck 1559. He designs the showgirls' outfits for that casino you and Niro went to last night."

"Really?", she laughed. "Those were amazing!" They chatted lightly the rest of the way to the dressmaker's.

As they entered, Owain handled a bolt of sequined fabric and laughed. "Gods, that's so tacky up close!"

The pair worked their way to the back, where a wizened little Ferengi was working on a garment. He stopped and greeted Owain, then Reva. "She is what you promised, Betazoid!" He circled her, took her coffee and handed it to Owain then pulled her to a dais and started taking measurements by hand. Reva watched him, amazed he was doing it the old way.

"Here, have a bite," Owain handed her a pastry while the Ferengi pulled a bolt of fabric down. "The old guy makes - or gets - the best pastries."

She did, licking the sugar from her fingers. "Mmm... Those are good," she smiled at Owain. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Being so nice," she said.

"I'm just making sure Niro gets what he wants," he answered. "It's always good when the one on his arm looks good."

"Going in five," the Ferengi said.

Reva looked at him, "Going in five?"

The merchant nodded and added, "Three."

Owain laughed as Reva tossed a confused look at him and the Ferengi said, "One." As Reva started to laugh with Owain, she suddenly froze and the Ferengi caught her. "Okay, give or take. It's not an exact science, mind you."

"She'll be able to walk? I can't carry her, she's too heavy," Owain complained.

"Ugh, you lazy prick," the Ferengi muttered. "Give it a minute. Either she'll wake up and kick your ass or she'll stay nice and quiet and be malleable." He set her in a chair then pulled out a heavy brown robe and tossed it at Owain. "There's a back way, through an access hatch, goes down to the worship center, comes out behind the choir box. Damned weird religion," he complained as he settled a mask on Reva's face, pulled gloves onto her hands and then pulled a second robe around her, fastening it at her neck. He stepped back when she moaned.

"Moment of truth?", Owain asked. His face, masked like Reva's, was nearly lost in the folds of the robe's hood.

The Ferengi nodded and held his breath. When the Orion did nothing more than moan, though, he relaxed. "Seems she's more Betazoid on the inside," he commented and grinned. "Come on, love, stand up," he spoke to Reva, who stood obediently.

"I love you, you nasty Ferengi," Owain grinned then took Reva by the hand and led her along the route he'd laid out earlier.

* Deck 2300 *

Fisher stood outside his small ship and checked the time. The ship's engines were already humming and he had a launch slot in fifteen minutes. Owain was certainly cutting it close. His second hurried across the deck, back with the padd containing the bill of lading. Given that Reva was the real shipment here, the rest was mundane stuff that wouldn’t get any attention. He’d also refused any passengers this trip to avoid complications.

“All clear, boss,” the man informed him and Fisher nodded.

“Excellent. Go on in and get ready, I’ll be along in a few minutes as soon as our guest arrives.” Once he was alone again, he resumed his position, scanning the deck for the Betazoid.

Hustling the zombie-like Reva along, Owain caught sight of the trader. Under their hoods and masks, neither Owain nor Reva were particularly noticeable or recognizable and they were nearly upon the trader before Owain spoke. "Delivered, as promised," he said.

“Good work,” Fisher muttered. “Take her in and get her settled and my crewman will secure the cabin. You...lose the robe and mask before you come out and vanish into the crowd.”

Owain didn't particularly care for the man's bossiness, but he guided Reva into the ship and handed her over to the man's crewman. He stripped his own robe and mask off then remembered something. He stopped the crewman and roughly yanked on Reva's robe then found her commbadge and took it. "Right. All for nothing if you leave with this," he grinned at the crewman then hurried back to Fisher.

"You should have a good three hours before she wakes. I recommend having her in a cell or cage by then. Orions can do some damage when angry," he advised the trader.

“That is easily done and thanks for the heads up. You’ll hear from me.” Fisher waited as Owain stepped through the hatch, then sealed it up. He was suddenly anxious to go. Pressing the comm panel, he ordered his pilot to get the hell out of there, then hurried off to the cabin that held Reva.

Watching the umbilicals detach from the ship, Owain smiled and idly turned her commbadge in his hand. "And I know just what to do with you," he spoke to the inanimate object and headed back to Niro's ship.

****************
Ensign Reva Madhava
She Trusts Too Easily

Owain
Digging His Own Grave

Fisher
Already Counting His Money